2012 Best & Worst Soap Opera Storylines

With 2012 coming to a close, Soaps.com writers are giving the rundown on the most memorable storylines this year. We’re dishing on which ones worked and which didn’t.

The Bold And The Beautiful: Stephanie’s Death was considered to be the best storyline on "B&B" in 2012. With the exception of Ridge missing, and some controversy over who was with her at the end, the story of Stephanie’s death was very well done. There were plenty of emotional beats, one-on-one goodbyes, flashbacks, and a moving celebration-of-life party – all in all a wonderful way to send a beloved character permanently off the canvas. Also amazing was how Stephanie came back from beyond the grave to deliver a twist in the Forrester Creations power struggle. On the other hand, the worst storyline as guessed was the Steffy/Liam/Hope Triangle. Repetitive, endless, and dragged to its death to the point where few viewers liked Liam anymore and only the most fervent fans cared which girl he ended up with at all. Even worse, it was featured daily to the exclusion of other stories and characters, which, if they were seen at all, were obsessing over the ‘dreaded triangle’. Horrid. Runners-up: Marcus’ hit-and-run, Ridge and Brooke’s break-up.

Days of our Lives: It was the year Salem literally fell into the sewer and it didn't seem to make any difference. Most of the year was retreading old plots. Sami, EJ and Rafe continued to circle around her booty like it was pirate gold. Kristen returned to town to revive a plot that died a decade ago. For the moderately mummified Marlena it seemed about as alive as anything else in her world. Meanwhile, there were a few new strands. In spite of some excessively PC moments, Will's coming out wins best storyline because it allowed the character to actually be explored in some depth, which is rare enough in Salem. It also served to highlight different facets to the characters around him, particularly his family and EJ. However, Will soon found himself in the midst of Gabbagate. Gabi's pregnancy plot was the worst because it’s 2012 and nobody in the world cares that a 20 year old girl got knocked up by her best friend, gay or not. Making it even worse, nobody cares about Gabi, who was the hapless villain of one of the year's other big flops – the Melnapping. Other nasty memories of 2012: Stefano and Kate's hasty break-up, which was a bad idea and poorly executed. But the most traumatic story of the year was Jenn and Daniel's on and off, his shaky hands, her two-bit grief over the heinously squashed Jack and the surgeon's miracle cure by soaking his hands in her guts.

General Hospital: Hollie’s vote for best "GH" storyline was Duke’s return. For pure camp and soapy goodness, Duke’s return from the dead for the second time was on the mark. But when we found out he was really Faison in a Duke mask, things got even more gasp-inducing. With Robin and Robert also tied to this storyline, we can’t wait to see what happens. Hollie voted "GH’s" worst storyline to be Jason’s exit. After 21 years, fans felt they deserved better than watching him get shot in the back and kicked into the harbor. This, after only getting one night with the son he never even knew was really his.

The Young And The Restless: Sharon’s story tied for both best and worst of the year. After a great deal of consideration, it became clear that Sharon’s journey has emerged as both the best and the worst storyline on "Y&R" this past year. How is that possible? Simple. The writing for the character was so questionable that Sharon became virtually unrecognizable as the well-established romantic heroine and mother she had previously been. To some viewers, her actions, such as marrying and bedding her children’s grandfather, were positively heartbreaking to watch and unforgivably out-of-character. Yet somehow, viewers couldn’t get enough of Sharon and her increasingly bizarre antics. We couldn’t wait to see what she would do or say next, and it became quite entertaining to see her behaving in ways we never would have imagined. Sharon Case committed fully to the writing for her character and made acting choices that won us over and drew us in no matter how unbelievable the storyline became.

Please leave Soaps.com a comment below with your own votes for what storylines of 2012 win for best or worst.